Vacation time..... What will care for my BBB Pool , best?

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Chelle

Chelle

0
May 12, 2011
35
South West, MO
First off, my previous post is here...http://www.troublefreepool.com/i-m-on-week-6-and-i-just-cant-quite-get-it-help-t33677.html.
I was new to BBB and TFP....but I have pretty much got the hang of it now and I LOVE IT! But, I am going on vacation for a week and I need to know what to do! Should I buy tabs? Line the edges of the pool with bleach bottles with a pin hole in them? What do you all do when you cant test and balance everyday?
If tabs are the answer, this is what i am looking at,
http://www.intheswim.com/Pool-Chemicals/Pool-Chlorine-and-Bromine/3-Inch-Chlorine-Tablets/

Any better recommendations? I have an inline tablet feeder with flow control.


Also, on a side note, My CYA is still less than 30. The black dot does not disappear even slightly!
And my PH is up to 7.8 today from 7.4 yesterday. On average I am using a gallon of Acid a week to maintain the PH by maintain, I mean it goes way up and I bring it way down and it repeats and I repeat and my pool and I go on to do the PH dance!)... What causes that? BTW, the fountain has stayed off to keep PH lower, but the water is getting quite warm!

Todays test:

FC 3.6
CC .2
PH 7.8
TA 160
CH 150
CYA >30

Water temp is 88!
 
Re: Vacation time..... What will care for my BBB Pool , best

Sounds like that TRI product will help in multiple ways, raising your CYA level, keeping a chlorine level in the pool, and pulling down your pH (and TA?). I am thinking the high TA http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/lowering total alkalinity must lead the the pH swings, or maybe it has some thing to do with the temp.

I am still learning, but my thought would be to add acid to get to the lower end of your acceptable pH range and get the TA down to maybe 80-90 then adding enough of the tabs to chlorinate during your time away.

It is a good question, as we all like to get away from time to time and may not have someone reliable (or knowledgable) to rely on.
 
Re: Vacation time..... What will care for my BBB Pool , best

I'm also going to be going on vacation and was going to post a similar topic. What about adding enough bleach to take it up to or near a shock level and just letting it wind itself down over the week? Anyone see any issues with this idea?
 
Re: Vacation time..... What will care for my BBB Pool , best

There's nothing wrong with using Trichlor tabs for a week or so while you are away. You can use Pool Calculator to roughly determine how many tabs to use based on your pool size and typical FC per day usage.

It looks like a typical 7oz trichlor puck will raise 27,000 gallons by about 1.8ppm FC and 1ppm CYA. They are also slightly acidic which will help maintain that PH.

Just bringing the pool up to shock isn't as reliable becuase at the higher FC ppm your chlorine is much more exposed to sunlight and will break down very quickly.
 
Re: Vacation time..... What will care for my BBB Pool , best

You can add it like that, but it will burn off faster than a week. If your CYA is low enough, you can also put some tablets in and let that hold your FC level.
 
Re: Vacation time..... What will care for my BBB Pool , best

When I went on vacation (before I installed my SWCG) I would bump my FC to shock level and throw on my solar cover . With the cover on my chlorine loss is minimal, and it was fine for a week plus.
 
Re: Vacation time..... What will care for my BBB Pool , best

I am back from vaca! All was well except coming home to a green pool!
My instructions for the house/ pet sitter were to add 1 gal of bleach every night and brush. For extra insurance I dded 4 pounds of stabilizer before I left. I was gone 6 days and came home to a green mess and 2 unused gals. of bleach!
So, step 1 (Friday), I tested:
FC 0
CC 0
PH 8+
TA 170
CYA >30
CH 150

Step 2 (Friday Night):
Add 2 gal. muriatic acid
Shock at 24 ppm, with 9 182oz Clorox, overnight

Step 3 (Saturday Morning) Test :
FC 12
CC .5
PH 7
Water is not green but very cloudy.
Return to shock at 24 ppm with add'l 4 182oz Clorox.
Turn on fountain.

Step 4 (Saturday Night) Test:
FC 22
CC .5
PH 7.4
TA 150
CH 150
CYA >30

Add 2 more 182oz Clorox and brush.

Step 5 (Sunday Morning) Test:
FC 25 (Liner totally bleached)
CC >.5
PH 7.8

Water is still cloudy and feels "sticky". Temp outside is 100, water is 95. Turned off fountain.

Step 6 (Sunday Evening) test:
FC 24.2
CC .2
PH 8.0
TA 150
Water is still cloudy. "milky"
Vacuumed, Backwashed filter and cleaned all baskets.
Add another gallon of Acid.

MOnday...went swimming in cloudy water anyway. Did not test or add anything else...wanted to see if it would "level itself out". Ha Ha! Water feels sticky, not slimy.
Water temp is 94. Turned fountain back on to help cool the water. Also added 3 inches of tap.

Tuesday... NOW I NEED TO KNOW STEP 7 FROM YOU ALL!!!
Todays test after all day full son and fountain.
Temp 91
FC 10
CC 0
PH 8
TA 150
CH 150
CYA >30

Water is still cloudy and the stabilizer isnt showing up at all after 10 days!
Is there a "home remedy for stabilizer and CH? How about lowering TA without raising PH?
Why does my PH swing so much? It only takes it 24 hours to go from 7 to 8 or more?

ALSO...... Is a standard "Pool Brand" 1 # shock equivalent to a gal of 6% bleach? Sams club has the shock packages for 57.00 which would be the same cost as the bleach, if it is equivalent...and a heackuvalot easier to manage!!

Any help is appreciated...the more specific the better!
 
Re: Vacation time..... What will care for my BBB Pool , best

How was the stabilizer added? If in the skimmers, any chance the pool sitter backwashed the filter or emptied the skimmer? Poor pool sitter, brushing is hard work, no wonder they quit.

As for the pH, it will start to stabilize some when TA is at maybe 90 or 80 or 70 or 60. So when you get to 90, stop working to adjust TA and just see how the pH drifts. With TA in the 100+ range, any fountains or even rain or splashing will tend to drive pH up. As you bring pH down from 7.8 to 7.2 the TA will slowly drop on its own. Or you can use the fountain a lot and let that aeration push the pH up really fast. Test and adjust often in that case.

As you are adjusting pH, be sure to recalculate the acid volume each time, using the current TA. As the TA drops, it takes less acid to move the pH to the suggested 7.2 level. Do not go below pH 6.8 or bad things can happen. Don't just drop a gallon of acid in without knowing that is what you need.

You should test the tap water TA. If it is very high, then every refill moves the TA back up again. You may need to run fountain only when you need it for cooling to minimize evaporation losses.

Yes, you can use cal-hypo, I guess that is what those shock packs are that you asked about. It is way cheaper to get it in bulk. I get the 90 lb bucket of 68% cal-hypo from Leslie's, their Power Powder Pro. Your calcium is low enough to handle using that for awhile, not forever though. Use the Pool Calculator to see how one lb of whatever cal-hypo % that is will compare to a jug of bleach in your pool. No, you cannot expect it to be so easy as to substitute a lb of this for a jug of that, do the math, it is all there on the Pool Calculator for you. Also see how the total needed amount will affect CH. It stores well and is good to have on hand.

I am somewhat disturbed that the CYA is still missing and that the former CYA of 60 is gone as well. That Oxi-Clean may be a wild card here. Someone ought to test that, not in a pool though. Just in a bucket of water with CYA. Just a guess, that is such a weird thing to throw in a pool, what on earth were you thinking?Tsk, tsk. I do note that on Sunday you began with 25 FC and ended the day with 24 FC and if you did not add bleach then the FC was holding really well, indicating that CYA is in there. Tuesday still at FC 10, no Monday test but if that is down from 24 on Sunday that is holding well.

Did you ever test FC decline overnight?

How is the filter pressure looking?

Sunday night to Monday FC loss was important to know but you did not test it. How was that swim? Fried your hair? Any irritation of nose or bottom? If not, maybe CYA is there and working.
 
Re: Vacation time..... What will care for my BBB Pool , best

I’m not a pro but just trying to help you till they return

Recommended Levels

Vinyl with Bleach
FC 3-7
pH 7.5-7.8
TA 70-90+
CH 50-300
CYA 30-50
with SWG
FC 3-5
pH 7.5-7.8
TA 60-80
CH 50-300
CYA 70-80

Water is still cloudy and the stabilizer isnt showing up at all after 10 days!
Should your CYA be 30-50 or 70-90? If 30-50 then you are ok, right?
Cloudy could be dead algae, looks like you are done shocking.
If the FC holds and your CC is .5 or less, you don't have to shock anymore.
“holds” = you lose < 1ppm overnight- means you need a late night/bedtime/ at least sunless test (to confirm it’s not the sun’s UV eating the FC), & again an early am test at dawn ~ at sunrise, no sun on the pool, not 3 hours after dawn unless pool is heavily shaded),

Is there a "home remedy for stabilizer and CH?
CYA/ stabilizer we put granular form in a sock in front of the returns. Be sure you get 100%
Your CH seems ok too, right?

How about lowering TA without raising PH?
Why does my PH swing so much? It only takes it 24 hours to go from 7 to 8 or more?
Proper TA helps keep your pH from swinging up and down.
Aeration will raise your pH without having any impact on your TA (your fountain).
Is there any way you can test your pH mid day also? That way you can treat with acid before it gets to 8, you want to lower it to 7.5 when it gets to 7.8
At the high chlorine levels, your TA test might not go from green to red but from pale blue to pale yellow. Even though the color change is not the same the test result is still valid.
The acid demand test can come in handy when lowering TA. You would use the acid demand test to tell you exactly how much acid to use to lower the PH. You can get much the same results using the Pool Calculator if you have complete test results and feel confident about them. The time acid and base demand tests are really valuable is when the PH is off one end of the range of the PH test. Again, wait for the pros to chime in.
Ask the pros about adding borates in the pool for some additional pH buffering

ALSO...... Is a standard "Pool Brand" 1 # shock equivalent to a gal of 6% bleach? Sams club has the shock packages for 57.00 which would be the same cost as the bleach, if it is equivalent...and a heackuvalot easier to manage!!

May have CYA in it, stick with the bleach for now unless the pros here tell you otherwise

CH & CYA change very slowly, you don’t need to be testing those every time unless a pro asks you to.
TA can be tested 1x/1-2weeks once things get settled down for you, but for now ask the pros how often you need to test TA.
pH & chlorine you check daily for now .
Eventaully you’ll check pH less often
chlorine you’ll test daily forever, not always with the powder, but rather with the OTO then the powder once a week. For now do as the pros request
 
Re: Vacation time..... What will care for my BBB Pool , best

Thanks everyone. I tried so hard to include every detail and I still managed to leave some out!
Let me try to answer some questions:
The stabilizer was a powder stab. and I dumped the entire bucket into the skimmer. There is not a chance that the house sitter went near the skimmer or pump. I am really starting to think that the Taylor K2006 that I purchased is old or something. The liquid to measure the CYA doesnt turn a bit cloudy...I have followed the directions precisely. The former CYA readings of 60 were on the old HTH 5 way kit. I have used it this weekend to double check and it says >30 as well. A couple things worth mentioning....I did a large water change back when the CYA was 60 to try to bring it down. I think we have had 40+" of rain so far this year. Also I live next to a lake and sometimes after rain, my pool smells like lake. Yuck. My neighbor has her lawn sprayed by Greenlawn once a week. ( 1 acre lots) The stuff they use stinks and drifts over here very badly. It leaves a fine layer of sticky, smelly stuff on my patio furniture. I asked the Greenlawn guy what it was and he said" its fertilizer amongst other things!" All of this may be nothing, but I thought it may provide some background or "condition" info.

As far as Oxi Clean...what was I thinking? I was thinking, " if it makes red water clear again then it will make green water clear again"! Here is the link to the Oxi Clean website: http://www.oxiclean.com/FAQ.aspx. It says it can be used for pool walls. It also says the PH is up to 11. It also says it is completely gone within 6 hours. So, I thought...why not try it? "Do it yourself" is not about money so much as principle, to me. I hate feeling like a chump at the pool store.

As far as testing tap water and Oxi CLean water.. I will do that today. I will post the results. The pool gets tested so often because I cant figure out what is wrong with it. I would love to only test once a week or so, I am already very low on that powder stuff that I need for the chlorine test. Reminds me of the pool store way....keep me coming back for more!

My swim on MOnday was fine. Thats just the mystery of this whole thing. There is very little chlorine smell. It smells like a fresh load of laundry. The water is just too sticky and cloudy. No one had any irritation at all.

It rained again last night and this morning the water is even more cloudy. I will go test t and do the other test as well and report back! I will add a pic of the pool too!


My plan of action for today is, find out exactly what kind of shock packets it is that Sams has and buy more stabilizer and also a clarifier. If I have to start buying stuff at the pool store, I will probably just go back to the chlorine tabs as well. Clearly I dont quite have the logic for BBB!!
 

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Re: Vacation time..... What will care for my BBB Pool , best

Fertilizer!!! Well that explains the green water if it drifts to your pool. Maybe someone can help with that, if that added ammonia to the pool, that would explain some of this. Over my pay grade, however. If this is an ongoing thing, you need to know how to manage it.

Lake smell is when you have no chlorine and things start to grow. That smell that you think of as "chlorine pool smell" is high CC, leaving the pool. Fresh laundry is what your pool ought to smell like.

As for "sticky", I wonder if the Oxy-Clean has surfactants. I'm guessing that might change the way the water feels. Again, not anything I know about, I'm just hoping someone who does can join in and clarify (no pun intended)

With no CYA, it may be that tablets in the chlorinator are not a bad idea.
 
Re: Vacation time..... What will care for my BBB Pool , best

Clearly I dont quite have the logic for BBB!!
Its too soon to say that. You can quit BBB &TFP if you want, but good luck with the pool store
The stabilizer was a powder stab. and I dumped the entire bucket into the skimmer.
Avoid that hereafter, put it in a sock in front of the returns, it won’t show up on a test until 1 week so no sense testing for it until then.
I am really starting to think that the Taylor K2006 that I purchased is old or something.
You are totally sunk without a decent test kit & nobody can help you the best way possible.
Get the TF100 & toss the other trash once it arrives

I asked the Greenlawn guy what it was and he said" its fertilizer amongst other things!"
Fertilizer/ ammonia can be a nightmare in a pool. Not saying you have it yet. Let’s find out. Test for ammonia at the Pet shop, fish tank dept, for free, or can buy the strips $12.
- When you have ammonia it takes huge amounts of chlorine before your can maintain a FC level because the ammonia eats the FC.
Causes: if a pool is "let go" over the winter or at any other time is allowed to get to zero chlorine levels, then bacteria in the pool can convert Cyanuric Acid (CYA) into ammonia.

Greenlawn needs a certified letter re if they put chemicals in your pool one more time your attorney will be contacting them- that just doesn’t fly, no way I’d put up with that. That is a damage

The pool gets tested so often because I cant figure out what is wrong with it.
That is ok, you are learning, with help from others here you can master this. Get the proper test kit if you don’t have it already !!
I would love to only test once a week or so, I am already very low on that powder stuff that I need for the chlorine test.
You’re doing way better than me & many others when we were at your stage.

You need some pros here that have expertise beyond anonapersona & me, I’ll goask for a few to chime in, then one of them will likely take over
 
Re: Vacation time..... What will care for my BBB Pool , best

Sorry I'm late to this party.
I think (hope) you're using the wrong symbols. [< = less than, > = greater than.] I still have to look at them sometimes to get them right.

Anona & Johnny have been giving you good advice so far so lets see if we can get some of this straigntened out so you don't feel so lost.

Let me see if I have this right.
Your pool was doing fine on June 30th, except for having to add a lot of acid (high TA), and your CYA was low.
You went on vacation and when you returned you found that the sitter didn't do as you asked so the pool was green.
You can't pass the OCLT.
You can't get the CYA level up in your pool.
Greenlawn sprays fertilizer etc. each week and it drifts onto your property and pool.
You have a K-2006.

Let me know if I missed anything.

Now lets get started. I agree with Johnny about the letter to Greenlawn. If fertilizer, etc. is drifting into your pool when they spray they need to stop it. You'll never gain ground as long as that's happening.
What concerns me most is the fact that you can't keep CYA in your pool. Just for backup, take a sample of your water to the local pool store and have them test for everything they can. Then take your test kit and test everything as well. Then post both sets of numbers. How long ago did you buy the kit?

Look at the container of CYA that you bought, if you still have it, and let us know what the ingredients are.

You really have no recourse right now except to keep shocking. I'd shock for a CYA of 20 ppm. Also, I noticed you only appear to shock once or twice a day. You need to test and add hourly. Go ahead and order more R-870 and R-871.

On your pH don't test it unless your FC is below 10 ppm. It reads wrong when the FC is high.

Post back and we'll help all we can.
 
Re: Vacation time..... What will care for my BBB Pool , best

Yes, probably using wrong symbols. My CYA is less than 30. The water does not cloud even a bi in the little tube and the black dot remains fully visible when viewed from the top. Yes, I have a Taylor K-2006. I ordered and received it about a month ago. I have no idea why he CYA test doesnt work. Or it does work and I have little or no CYA. I have contacted Greenlawn (last year) when I had the same problem. They assure me that the "green" stuff they use is " a proprietary blend of non-hazardous lawn feed and water. The mixture is not harmful to plants, domestic animals, humans, ground water or swimming pools". I dont know if its causing problems or not, but it has always made me wonder. Bama, you did a great job summarizing my rant.
Yesterday I added another 4# of stabilizer. I dumped it into the skimmer as the directions said. That was before I read the post about the sock. (Which still kind of confuses me). I also added clarifier. I lost me nerve to go to the pool store, so I purchased both of these items at Walmart. The clarifier directions called for 5 oz. so I put in 10 oz to be safe. I brushed and let it be over night.
This morning the thing looks like freshly Windexed glass with diamonds in it. It is absolutely stunning! I cannot wait to get it in! I think the clarifier was the answer. I just kept shocking and the bleach wasnt helping...what ever little particles that were in there that were milky and sticky, the clarifier grabbed them up and left a small little pile by the drain and managed to get the rest into the filter.

------------------------------------------------------
Items added yesterday around 6 pm.

HTH Stabilizer/ Conditioner 4 POwder:
Cyanuric Acid
96%
Inert Ingredients
4%

HTH Super Concentrated Clarifier
Active Ingredient: Cationic Polymer

1 Gallon
Hydrochloric Acid, 20° Baume (31.45%) (Muriatic Acid)

182oz. Clorox Bleach

Stiirred well and let sit overnight with filter on and fountain on.

--------------------------------------------
6:00Pm Test: (before chemical dump, cloudy milky, sticky water, mostly in deep end)
FC 2.8
CC 0
PH 8

Midnight Test: (6 hours after chemical dump, water is still cloudy)
FC 5
CC 0
PH 7.2

7:00AM Test ( ~12 hours after chemical dump, water is clear, smells good and feels good, small clumps of matter around drain)
FC 5
CC 0
PH 7.4 (fountain on all night)

Noon Test (18hrs. after the chemical dump, water is crystal clear and sparkling, GORGEOUS!)
FC 4.2
CC 0
PH 7.4-7.6 (really hard to tell)

Items added yesterday around 6 pm.

HTH Stabilizer/ Conditioner 4 POwder:
Cyanuric Acid
96%
Inert Ingredients
4%

HTH Super Concentrated Clarifier
Active Ingredient: Cationic Polymer

1 Gallon
Hydrochloric Acid, 20° Baume (31.45%) (Muriatic Acid)

182oz. Clorox Bleach

Stiirred well and let sit overnight with filter on and fountain on.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry I did not have time to perform the other water test yesterday like I wanted too. I will try again today. If any of you are mathematicians please provide me the correct ratio I need to duplicate the Oxi Clean in my pool. I originally put in 28# of OxiClean into a 27400 Gal pool. So what would that be in a 5 gal. bucket?? Have fun!
 
Re: Vacation time..... What will care for my BBB Pool , best

Glad it's clear for you but I'm still puzzled about the CYA. Test it again in a week and post back the nunber you get.

I'm glad you told us about the clarifier. I'm keeping a record of the clarifiers being used and whether they work or not. Sounds like this one did the trick.
 
Re: Vacation time..... What will care for my BBB Pool , best

Quick Update: Clearly there is some CYA in my pool regardless of what the test shows. We swam all day today and had company....and...dont cringe... the dog got in for a minute too, and my FC is still holding at 4.6 as of 10pm. My PH is 7.4-7.6 and TA is still 150. Water is still gorgeous. Looks like diamonds and feels like silk! My filter is still holding at 12 pSI ven after this mornings vacuum. It seems to be running quieter too. Clarifier??

FOR THE RECORD:

City Water Test:
FC .2
CC 0
PH 7.6

Oxi Clean Water: (in tap mixed 1:61)

FC .2 or less (1drop instantly turned it clear)
CC 0
PH more than 8 ( dark magenta color)


Thanks All!!

-Chelle
 
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